1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system capable of forming a print image on a medium to be used for a printer, a photocopier, a facsimile device, and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
A related art image forming apparatus, such as a printer, a photocopier, and a multifunctional device employing an electrophotographic method, an ink jet method, or a heat transfer method, forms a background design pattern based on prescribed information and prints a print image by superimposing on the background design pattern, thereby reducing (if not prevent) a leakage of important document data.
Patent Document 1, for example, discloses formation of an image on the medium by combining print data serving as a readable image and background design pattern data formed based on embedded information provided by analyzing and re-editing data transmitted from an upper-level device.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-219368
The image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows the image expressed by the background design pattern data and the image expressed by the print data to be superimposed and printed on the medium. Consequently, the information provided on the background design pattern becomes difficult to be read in a portion in which the image of the background design pattern data and the image of print data are superimposed, causing a limitation of a printable region for the background design pattern due to the print data.
The present invention is proposed in consideration of the aforementioned situations, and provides an image forming apparatus and an image forming system capable of removing a print restriction with respect to print data serving as a readable image in a printable region for a background design pattern.